US209571A - Improvement in envelopes - Google Patents

Description

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UNITED STATns PATENT GFFIcE.

NOAH JACOBSOHN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

IMPROVEM ENTv IN ENVELO PES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 209,571, dated November 5, 1878; application filed' l February 19, 1878.

To all lwhom it may concern: Be it known that I, NOAH JAGOBSOHN, o Berlin, Prussia, have invented an Improvement in Envelopes, of which the following is a specication:

Figure l is an inner-face view of the im' proved envelope-blank; Fig. 2, a back view of the closed envelope; Fig. 3, a back view thereof, showing a modification; Fig. 4, an inner-face view of a blank containing a further modification of the invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the figures. .l

This invention relatesl to improvements in envelopes, which are calculated to insure greater safety in the conveyanceof letters and more protection against fraudulent opening of the envelopes,v f

The invention consists, first, in cutting the end flaps c c of the envelope A with downwardly-projecting noses b b, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 4so that when the flaps are closed these noses will fold one over the other and over the lower ap, i, of the envelope, and will come directly under the lip el of the coverin g-iiap e, which lip is perforated, as shown, so

that three seals are required to unite all the four aps of the envelope, the upper seal striking through the apertures ofthe coveringiiap.

vIt will be seen that the noses b and b, by folding one over the other, make the envelope very strong at its most exposed portion, and make it extremely difficult to open the same.

In the envelopes heretofore made the lower iiap, c', folded over the end iiaps, leaving the upper -gummed edge of the lower iiap exposed. Such envelopes could be readily opened along such exposed edge of the lower flap. By providing the end iiaps a c with the noses b b and folding the same over the lower flap, i, l protect the gummed ed ge of the latter, thereby adding greatly to the security of the envelope.

Highly-colored gums or soluble seals may be used for closing the envelope, which is provided with the vperforated flap c, so that the color of the seal or gum may be perceived throughthe perforations.; but this I do'not claim to have invented.

In Fig. 3 is indicated a highly-colored wafer or soluble seal, f, placed beneath the lip d' of the outer flap, o, said lip d being perforated, as shown. When t-heA envelope is sealed with this highly-colored gum or seal, which is soluble in water, it will be impossible to reopen it with steam or water without dissolving and eacin g or spreading the color, which is always perceivable through the apertures of the flap. The fraudulent opening of the envelope will thereby be rendered almost certain of detection if attempted.

To the like end the exposed outerv borders of the iiaps are tinted with water-colors which are soluble in water or steam, so that any attempt at unfastenin g the flaps by moisture will at once cause these exposed borders of colors to be dissolved and diffused over the whole surface of the envelope, thereby betraying the attempt which has been made. This is -part of my invention.

Heretofore gum has been mixed with soluble colors, so that the colors would be diffused if the gum were dissolved; but in that case the colors and gum were applied betweenl the iaps to be connected, while I apply the colors to the outer edges of the liaps, being the exposed and visible edges of the flaps of the closed envelope.

The dark lines g g along the exposed rims of the iiaps a a and e of the envelope shown in Fig. 2 indicate these colored borders.

Fi g. 4 shows a modification of my invention, in the form of perforations in the noses b I of the end flaps a a of the envelope, which perforations correspond with those in the main or covering aps c, so that one single piece of sealing-wax, placedbeneath the flaps a, will extend through and serve to hold all the flaps connected by passing through the three flaps a c and c. A similar safetyseal may be provided at other parts of the iiaps.

The lower flap, i, may either be of the usual l form, as indicated in Fig. l, or it may be len gthened to extend up along the entire face of the envelope and have a flange or ledge on top, which may be gummed and secured, when the envelope is closed, to the outer flap, o.

I also prefer to apply to the inner face of the envelope a piece of colored impression or transfer paper, l, (shown in Fig. 1,) with its transfersurface facing the letter` that is to be placed into the envelope, so that the application of a canceling or other stamp to the outer face of the envelope will be transferred through the paper l to the body of the letter, thus showing on the face of the letter the actual imprint of the post-oce, and enabling parties to prove thereby the time of the mailing ofthe letter.

This is important, because it frequently oecurs that necessary proof of the time at which a letter was mailed cannot be given owing to the loss of the envelope Within which the letter has been contained; but this I do not claim as my invention.

I elaiml 1. The envelope A, having a perforated covering-flap, e, and end llaps al a, that are provided with downwardly-projecting noses b b, all arranged so that, in folding, the two noses b and b will cover one another. and the upper NOAH JACOBSOHN.

Witnesses:

GEORG PRITTWIER, BERTHOLD Roi.

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