US2053491A - Envelope fastener - Google Patents

Description

A. NQVCK ENVELOPE .FA'S'T'ENER Filed July 13, 1934 INVENTOR.

Abra/7am Nov/ck.

BY @0444/ 9 M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 8, 1936 .NITE STATES eATLENT oFFlcE ENVELOPE FASTENER Application July 13, 1934, Serial No. 734,980

3 Claims.

This invention relates to envelope fasteners of the type adapted to be clinched to the back of an envelope and provided with oppositely extending, bendable tongues which normally lie fiat against 5 the back of the envelope, but which may be bent upwardly into substantial parallelism, passed through an opening in the envelope blank, and then spread out fiat again to secure the flap in a closed position.

One object of the invention is to provide a fastener of this general type embodying improved means for attaching the same to the envelope.

Another object is to provide such a fastener embodying tongues which may be more readily and accurately bent.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

Fasteners of this general type are formed with two integral lobes extending at right angles to the bendable tongues. In one form of such fastener which has been employed, prongs are punched from the material of these lobes. The envelope material is impaled by these prongs, and the prongs are bent outwardly from the lobe perforation and downwardly upon the envelope material, thereby clinching the fastener to the back wall of the envelope. These fasteners are objectionable in that the sharp points and/or edges of the prongs (which, of course, come inside the envelope) are likely to engage and damage the envelope contents-as, for example, by tearing delicate fabrics or scratching the surface of the coated paper used in catalogues and booklets. Moreover, the holding power of these prongs is relatively limited because of the restricted area of their clinching engagement with the envelope material. Additionally, the points of the prongs cut the fibers of the material, and thus increase the likelihood of tearing out.

In another conventional form of such envelope fastener, holes are punched through the lobes, and eyelets are passed therethrough and through holes in the envelope walk-these eyelets then being upset inside the envelope. While this type of attaching means obviates the aforesaid objectionable features of the prong attachment, it has the disadvantage of adding considerably to the cost of the fastener.

The present invention obviates the objectionable features of both the aforesaid types of fastener. It provides attaching means wherein projecting sharp points and/or edges are eliminated, and the likelihood of damage to the envelope contents is minimized; wherein the area of clinching engagement of the fastener and the envelope wall is increased; wherein the envelope material is not cut in effecting the clinching engagement; and wherein the additional cost of separate eyelets is eliminated.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, and

wherein l Fig. l is a fragmentary view of an outside portion of the back of an envelope, with the envelope fiap, showing a fastener embodying features of the present invention applied to such back.

Fig. 2 is fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, of an inside portion of the back of the envelope, the fastener-attaching means being shown in solid line and the outline of the fastener being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, on a further enlarged scale, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l, and viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section, on the same enlarged scale as Fig. 3, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1,-and viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a form of the invention modified in respect of the tongue elements.

Referring to the drawing: Fig. l shows an envelope, designated generally by the reference numeral l, having a fastener, designated generally by o the reference numeral 2, attached to the back, 3, of said envelope. The closure ap 4 of the envelope is provided with a reinforcing piece 5 adhered thereto. A hole, 6, is punched through the flap 4 and the reinforcing piece 5. The tongues A.

are indicated by the reference numeral l, and the body of the fastener by the reference numeral 8. The tongues are adapted to be bent upwardly into substantial parallelism, the flap 4 is then turned over against the back of the envelope, the tongues passing through the hole 6. The tongues are then bent back at, thereby retaining the flap 4 in closed position.

The fastener 2 is attached to the back wall of the envelope by means of two short, uniform eyelet tubes, 9, formed in the lobes I0 and integral therewith. These eyelets are driven through the envelope wall and then upset to form smooth, unbroken clinching flanges, l I. As appears from Figs. 3 and 4, the upsetting of these eyelets bends the respective peripheral portions thereof outwardly and upwardly (as viewed in the drawing). As further appears from Figs. 3 and 4, the rims of the lobes I0 are bent downwardly to render their inner surfaces concave. These downwardly- Cit bent portions of the lobes encompass the upwardly and outwardly bent peripheral portions of the eyelets, and co-operate therewith securely to grip the interposed portion of the envelope wall, without, however, puncturing the wall material, as do the prongs of the conventional fastener. The likelihood of the fastener tearing out is thus minimized. It is further minimized by reason of the large and unbroken area of clinching engagement. With the present type of attaching means, the Wall material is distorted into a form roughly S-shape in cross-section, and this distortion contributes to the strong gripping action of the eyelets and lobes.

It will further be noted from Figs. 3 and 4'tha`t, by so upsetting the eyelets that their peripheral portions are bent upwardly, there are no projecting rough edges of metal inside `the .envelope to tear or scratch the envelope contentsthe only metal with which the contents contact vbeing the curved and Aunbroken `surfaces which define the bending zones :of the eyelets.

By vforming `the eyelets from the material .of the lobes, the cost of separate eyelets is eliminated, and rit 4becomes possible .to manufacture and apply fasteners of .this type as cheaply as to manufacture and applythoseof lthe `undesirable prong-attaching type, The rims of the lobes .IU may be concaved simultaneously with the forming -of the -eyelet tubes and with the same Vpunch and die, so that no extra cost is involved in providing this improved clinching feature.

The tongues, `suchas 1 of thisltype of fastener have heretofore `been formed with parallel sides, and, therefore, without lany definite bending zones. Another feature of the present inventin is shown in Fig. 5, where these tongues, 7.a., ,are narrowed near thepoints wherethey respectively join the body, 8; and ,these oppositely-:disposed juncture `points :are vbroughticloser together than in thevconventional type of fastener. The weakening of the Atongues `resulting from narrowing this portion thereof provides a well-dened bending zone for each tongue, and facilitates the bending tand re-bending thereof. VBy -indenting the juncture points, the tongues are brought closer together when in their upright position, and it becomes .possible .to `make the hole -5 of less diameter, `and Atoemploy .a reinforcing ypiece 5 of correspondingly `smaller size.

If desired, the ftongues may be narrowed at points removed from the points of juncture with the body, to localize ythe bending'of .the tongues at such s pacedpoints.

It is to be understood that the preferred embodiments of the invention herein described and shown are merely illustrative, and that, without departing from the principle of the invention, they may be incorporated in divers other forms and structures.

I claim:

1. In combination, an envelope and a fastener therefor, said fastener being provided with a pair of bendable tongues and a pair of lobes integral therewith, each of said lobes having formed therein an eyelet which passes through an envelope .wall and co-operates with its lobe to attach said fastener to said envelope, and each of Ysaid lobes having concave inner surface surrounding the eyelet to provide a recess for receiving the edge portion of the upset eyelet, whereby Vthe material of said envelope is embossed by, and confined directly between, completely circular and complemental eyelet portions, integ-ral :with each other and with said tongues. l

.2. In combination, an envelope yprovided with a flap `and a yfasten-er therefor, said fastener having a pair .of ybendable tongues engaging said flap, and .a pair fof lobes integral with said tongues, `said lobes vhaving formed therein eyelets which pass Vthrough apertures in the envelope wall and which co-operate with said lobes to clinch annularareas of materials surrounding 1 such apertures, -in order Vto attach said fastener to saidenvelope, said lobes having annular recesses .surrounding the eyelets in which vrecesses theedges-of .the upset eyelets seat the contiguous margins of the material.

.3.. ,-In combination, a-n envelope provided with a flap and a fastener therefor, said fastener hav-4 inga pair'oi bendable tongues engaging said flap, and va, pair of lobes integral with said tongues, said lobes having `formed therein eyelets which pass `through apertures in the envelope wall and which co-operate :with saidlobes to clinch annular areas of .material surrounding such apertures, .in order `to `attach said fastener to said envelope, said lobes having ridges of toric .contour embossed therein and extending above the level of the material, to provide completely .annular recesses surrounding :the reyelets, in 4which recesses theiedgesof the 'upset eyelets seat the contiguous margins :of -the material, l:bending rsaid Vmargins above vthe surface of the inner .wall of the envelope and ,leaving the latter even and fsmooth at -the rregion 'of attachment.

ABRAHAM .NOVICK

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