US1897847A

US1897847A - Locking coupon envelope

Info

Publication number: US1897847A
Application number: US504286A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dewey M Kennedy
Original assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Current assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date: 1930-12-23
Filing date: 1930-12-23
Publication date: 1933-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 1950-02-14

Description

Feb. 14, 1933. 'Q M, KENNEDY 1,897,847

LOCKING couPoN ENvELoPE Filed Deo. 23, 1930 2 sheets-sheet 1 Dewey flmnedy, f )v 'r l It aww/nega'.

Feb. 14, 1933. D M, KENNEDY I 1,897,847

LOCKING COUPON ENVELOPE Filed DeC. 23, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 atto/mamy.

Patented Feb. 14, 1933 FNV? @Fi DEWEY TE. KENNEDY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW' YORK, ASSlG-NP 'EO EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, 0F ROCHESTER, NEW' YORK, A CORPORATION' 0F NEW YORK LOCKING CO'UEON ENVELOEE Application filed leceniher 33, 1930. Serial No. 504,286.

This invention relates to envelopes and particularly to envelopes of a type in which a iiap is provided with locking ears which may be engaged in suitable apertures in a wall of the envelope to form a closure.

@ne object of my invention is to pro-vide a locking envelope with a iiap which may be locked and unlocked repeatedly.

Another object of my invention is to provide an envelope with a flap adapted to be locked against the body portion of the envelope only after a portion of the envelope has been removed.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a. coupon enveloil e, the coupon normally forming a part of an envelope wall which must necessarily be removed efor the envelope can be locked.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an envelope with a memory cue which will make it necessary for the user to remove a coupon before the envelope is locked closed.

@ther objects will appear from t ie following speciiications, the novel features bcing particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereto.

Coming now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts indicated:

Figure l is a plan view of an envelope blank from which an envelope constructed in accordance with and embodying a preferred form of my invention may be made:

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of an envelope folded up from the blank shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a plan view similar to Figure 2 but with the coupon detached, thus placing the envelope in a locking condition.

Figure et is a fragmentary plan view of the envelope with the looking ears on the flap engaged in complementary openings in the envelope body, thus locking the closure in place.

Figure 5 is a plan view of an envelope constructed in accordance with another embodiment of my invention, and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but with parts in a diierent position.

For a great many purposes and particularly for photographic nishers it is useful to provide an envelope in which the work to be done may be placed, this envelope being provided with a closure which can be repeatedly opened and closed without damaging the envelope.

is the work `comes in it is convenient to issue a number for the work, place on the cnstoniers name and address, the work required and the like, and to hand the customer a receipt for the work.

ln order to form a. memory cue to insure that work order, instructions or other necessary data is recorded, I have provided a coupon envelope with a detachable coupon which is so located on the envelope that it must be detached before the envelope closure can be locked to hold the contents in the envelope.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein as indicated in Figure l, a blank 1 is shown from which an envelope may be made.

This blank may consist of a front wall 2, a back wall 3, and an inner part wall 4, between which thev fine dot and dash lines 5 indicate folding lines. There is a iiap 6 which may be attached to the front wall 2 and a. bottom flap 7 which may also be attached to the front Wall 2. Folding lines 5 indicate the extent of these aps.

rlhe inner wall Al is provided with a flap S extending down one side of the front wall',

2. The rear wall 3 may be provided with a pair of spaced slots 9 and these slots may be connected with the weakened lines shown in broken lines at l0, thus a rectangular coupon may be provided which can be readily torn from the material forming the back wall 3 of the envelope.

rlhis coupon may be provided with blanks to be iilled in by the user, a series of lines ll in Figure 2 indicating any required data.

f it should be useful to provide a duplicate copy of the data on the coupon broadly designated as l2, the flap 6 may be provided on tie outside as shown in Figure l with data 13 corresponding with the data 11 on the coupon, thus it is only necessary to place carbon paper between the flap 6 or on the ap 6 facing the coupon 12 in order to enable the user to provide the written data required on both the flap and the coupon 12.

Before the envelope can be locked in a closed position it is necessary to remove flap 12 by tearing it along the weakened lines 10.

With the blank shown in Figure 1 the envelope may be constructed by bending wall 4 and flap S along line Adhesive may then be applied to the area indicated by broken cross-hatched lines in Figure 3 and marked A. Over this folded portion of the envelope the rear wall 3 is then folded along the line and it will be held by the adhesive just described. The lower flap 7 is then coated with adhesive A2 as also indicated in Figure 8 and is folded over the wall 23 thus completing the envelope.

It should be noted from Figure 3 that an area B defined by the dot and dash lines b is free from adhesive and consequently forms a locking pocket 14, the outward walls of which are formed by the slots 9 and the edges 15 from which the coupon 12 has been torn.

The flap 6 may be somewhat irregular in shape, but is preferably provided with a pair of locking ears 16 and a locking ear 17. rlhe locking ears 1G are adapted to enter the locking pocket 111 and engage the complementary openings 9 which form the side walls thereof. The locking ear 17 is adapted to engage the lower wall 15 of the opening 14 so that the three locking ears form a similar connection with the complementary openings of the envelope back having comparatively large areas in engagement therewith so that there is little liability of tearing or breaking the locking ears even though they are repeatedly used.

The operation of my envelope may be as follows:

lVith the envelope folded up ready kfor use as shown in Figure 2, a user upon receiving an order-for instance an order for developing and printing film-may write the order on the envelope tab 6 with a piece of carbon between this tab and the coupon 12 thus there wil."L be provided a duplicate record. lf desirable, a smaller area of carbon paper may be placed on or facing tab 6 at 160. The roll of film or film pack may be placed in the envelope and the flap closed.

lf the operator has failed to remove the coupon 12, the envelope can not be completely locked since the tab 17 can not be entered in the locking pocket. This reminds a user that the coupon must be removed by tearing the coupon along the lines 10-10 after which the flap can be locked in a closed position.

The envelope may be repeatedly locked and unlocked in removing the films, inserting the prints, showing the prints to customers, etc., without damaging the locking ears.

It is obvious that modifications can be made without departing from my invention. For instance, one modification is shown in Figure 5 wherein the removable tab 22 forms a part of the envelope flap 26 instead of a part of the rear wall 23. ln this embodiment of my invention the locking opening for the flap consists of a rectangular cut out 24: in the rear wall and it should be noted that the sides 25 of this cut out are spaced a less distance apart than are the sides 28 of the coupon 22. There is a weakened line 27 of curved shape connecting the coupon to the iap 26. As will appear obvious, this coupon 26 must be torn off before the envelope can be locked closed. W'ith this form of my invention the duplicate copy of the order may be provided on the rear wall 23 of the envelope just beneath the square cut out 2-1, as best shown in Figure 6.

`Except as above described, the envelope may be of the same construction as that of the envelope described in 'the first embodiment of my invention.

ln both of the above describing embodiments of my invention it will be seen that there is a coupon necessarily removable before the envelope can be locked in a closed position. This not only provides a convenient method of retaining a coupon with the envelope but in addition it forms a memory cue to a user which will prevent the user from locking the work without filling out the coupon.

In both embodiments of my invention the envelope is formed from a single paper blank folded up and pasted. The coupon is likewise formed from a piece of the same blank.

As it is obvious that various changes in form and shape may be made without departing from my invention, I contemplate as within the scope of my invention all such forms as may come within the applied claims.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure b Letters Patent is,-

1. In an envelope, the combination with envelope walls having an opening, of a flap adapted to close the opening in the walls, locking ears on the flap, a locking pocket in the envelope including a removable tab defined bv a pair of spaced slots and weakencd lines connecting said slots, said tab being adapted to be removed by tearing along the weakened lines, whereby the locking ears of the flap may engage the opening thus formed and lock the envelone in a closed position.

2. In an envelope, the combination With envelope Walls made from a single sheet of material and folded into front and rear Walls, tabs on one of these Walls adapted to join the front and rear Walls, at least a portion of the rear Wall being formed of two thicknesses of material, a liap adapted to close an opening at one end of said envelope, locking ears on the nap, a locking pocket in the envelope rear Wall including a removable tab dened by a pair of spaced slots and weakened lines connecting said slots, said removable tab lying over an area of the rear Wall having a double thickness7 whereby when said tab is removed the rear Wall of the envelope may remain unbroken.

3. ln an envelope, the combination with envelope Walls having an opening, of a flap adapted to close the opening in the Walls, locking ears on the flap, a locking pocket in the envelope including two connected walls, one Wall including a removable tab dened by a pair of slots and weakened lines connecting said slots, the double-Walled portions of said envelone being connected by an adhesive area surrounding said removable tab, whereby a locking pocket for the locking ears on the flap is provided by removing said removable tab.

Signed at Rochester, N. Y. this 17th day of December, 1930.

DEWEY M. KENNEDY.