US2159957A - Envelope - Google Patents

Description

May 23, 1939.

J J. ORMOND ENVELOPE Filed July 26, 1937 Big. 2. ,JTWMEWZZH" 0W 3 warm Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE Application July 26, 1937, Serial No. 155.587

1 Claim.

This invention relates to envelopes printed on the entire rear face and to a. process of effecting such print ng when the bottom and end flaps have been sealed down and the envelope is fully 5 assembled. i

A very considerable demand now exists in the trade for envelopes printed on the rear face-with advertising matter. However, due to there having been rather widely used a poor grade of printing only partly covering the rear face of an envelope, the demand has become more selective and only when a high grade printing job such as half-tone work which effectually covers the rear face of the envelope is possible, is there a market. In addition these results must be procured at a reasonably small cost.

In the art at the present time it is very diflicult to eifect good printing on the rear faces or backs of envelopes and no process is known for commercially performing this operation. The reasons for such difliculty comprise the necessity of providing a make ready due to the uneven surface resulting from the flap portions of the envelope, the character of the envelope paper which 0 is usually of a grade not particularly suitable for fine printing work such as half-tone prints, and the necessity for holding the envelope while it is being printed, requiring the use of grippers, with consequent unprinted areas being present on the 30 envelope.

Of these difiiculties, by far the most pertinent is the one having to do with grippers as in order to get a good print and take care of the unevennesses of the envelope surface, inks must be used which either do not dry well or which stick to the printing rolls, defeating commercial production.

By the use of a gelatine blanket transfer roll, and a particular type of printing ink, I have suc- 40 ceeded in eliminating the use of grippers, in effecting a process of printing adapted to commercial scale in costs, quality, and production, and in producing an envelope printed over its entire rear face characterized by several improve- 45 ments from the printing which enhance the value of the envelope itself aside from its appearance.

Among the objects of my invention, there may be cited a process of printing the entire rear face of an envelope without grippers, the effecting of 5 a waterproof and opaque covering on the back of the envelope, achieved in a substantially dry state immediately after printing, and combining printing and a sealing effect taking place along the edge formed by the folded over bottom flap 5 of the envelope.

A further object is an envelope having advertising print disposed over the entire rear face and having its bottom flap edge substantially sealed by the printing material whereby loosening or opening up of the envelope flap is largely elimi- 5 nated.

In the drawing illustrating the application of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view intended to illustrate a rotary offset printing means as uti- 10 lized in the carrying out of my process.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the envelope; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

While it is understood to be not new to utilize 16 rotary ofiset printing machines such as that disclosed in the drawing in Fig. 1, it is again pointed out that its use in connection with the printing of the entire rear face of an envelope without grippers is new and produces a product for 20 which there is a large demand. Overcoming the difliculties recited above is made possible by the printing equipment used in conjunction with a particular type of printing ink. I

Considering first the mechanism used to effect the printing, I 0 indicates a printing roll, ll refers to a transfer roll, and I2 is a pressure roll. Roll In is provided with a printing plate l3 of the intaglio type in the particular case illustrated, and the roll is adapted to be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow. This roll picks up ink from a distributing roll I4 which has been deposited thereon by an ink roll l5 diagrammatically illustrated in association with an ink trough l6 containing an ink material ll. I8 denotes a doctor blade being received in a bar l9 for removing excess ink from the printing plate l3 during rotation thereof.

According to the conventional principle of transfer printing, ink is deposited from the rccessed portions of the intaglio plate. l3 upon the soft resilient blanket 20 of roll II. The latter roll rotates in conjunction with roll l2 in such a manner that a pressure member 2i engages with the blanket member 20 over which the ink impression has been delivered by roll Ill.

The subject matter to be printed passes between the pressure plate 2! and blanket 20 with the impression on blanket 20 being transferred to the subject matter, after which it drops out from between the rolls.

Herctofore, considerable difiiculty has been had in printing on an envelope with mechanism of this type for the reason that the folded over flap portions of the envelope create unevennesses in the surface to be printed on, and as a result a picture or print having lighter or darker tone values is obtained. In overcoming this difllculty, the present roll 20 is provided with a blanket of gelatinous material which in addition to being soft and resilient and thereby adapting itself to the uneven surface of the rear face or back of the envelope, has the character of applying the particular printing ink, about to be described, so that it comes off the roll in a substantially dry state without sticking occurring. By effecting this result, the use of the grippers is entirely eliminated and therefore the entire back surface of the envelope is free to receive print and form a satisfactory commercial advertising article.

As the new results occurring are effected largely by the action of the gelatine blanket with the particular ink substance described hereafter, it is not considered necessary to indicate or discuss more details in the machine construction.

The material which I have found gives these new and unexpected results is a varnish mixed with metal oxides and pigments and thenthinned to a point at which it will freely spread on a printing plate.

While it is understood that varnishes in general have been used mixed with other ingredients such as oils, carbons and the like, to provide printing inks, it is pointed out that none of these other ingredients are present in this material, and it is important to note that a mixture of dissolved gums containing pigments or oxides can be thinned to a point where it is easily applied by inking rolls to a printing plate, and when transferred from the printing plate to a gelatine blanket of the character referred to and contacted with paper, will be deposited in an almost entirely dry state.

Furthermore, the bodied character of the dissolved gum or varnish together with metal oxides when applied from the gelatine surface will give a uniform weight of color on a cheap grade of paper such as that of an envelope.

As an example of an ink material found to be satisfactory, there may be cited a mixture of a metal oxide such as zinc oxide, incorporated with a darmer or white copal varnish made from dissolving a gum such as a batavia gum darmer in turpentine or other solvent as benzlne, benzoin, acetone, and the like. A mixture having the substance occurring in proportions similar to those of an enamel has been found to give very good results. The amount of thinning, for which purpose turpentine or some other suitable solvent may be used, can be determined by trial and depends to some extent upon the grade and character of paper upon which the ink material is to be deposited. It has been found that with a soft absorbent type of paper, a less amount of thinning may be effected, while other papers containing more sizing and having a highly glazed finish, will require an increased amount of thinner.

As a result of this particular material used, there is very pronounced waterproofing character taken on by the back of the envelope, and also this type of ink gives greatly increased capacity. The waterproofing character provided by an inking material such as an enamel varnish adds greatly to the value of the envelope as an advertising medium since with the varnish applied to the entire back side of the envelope a complete protective coating is effected which is highly resistant to moisture, prevents the occurrence of curling or distortion if the envelope is placed on a wet surface, protects the contents of the envelope, and is itself unaffected by moisture or other conditions during the passage through the mail which sometimes destroys the value of advertising matter on envelopes.

Since the envelope is completely covered with a picture or some other ink impression, checks or other confidential data may be enclosed in the envelope without being discerned when held to the light, and such an arrangement obviates the much more expensive process of printing on the inside of an envelope before it is folded for opacity ity purposes.

Another important feature of the envelope and its process of printing consists in a sealing effect which is produced during the printing operation. This sealing effect occurs along the edges formed by the bottom flap of the envelope being folded up. In some instances where a cheap grade of paper or glue is used, and the envelope may later be subjected to moist conditions, this flap tends to open up and curl, resulting in an unsatisfactory container of unsightly appearance.

In Fig. 2 there has been illustrated an envelope 24, provided with a bottom flap 25 and end flaps 26. 21 indicates printed matter on the envelope. When flap 25 has been secured to end flaps 26 in the assembly of the envelope, there results an edge 28.

It has been found that the inking material is of a sufliciently bodied nature as applied by the gelatine roll in proper state of dilution as to lay in against the flap edge 28 and actually provide a seal of print 21 therealong, which is very effective in shutting out moisture from these glued down edges.

In all previous printing operations on envelopes, not only has there been great difliculty in applying the print to the uneven surface of the envelope, but it has been impossible to dispose the ink along the edge of the flap referred to so that a white margin does not appear. The character of this type of printing ink, working in conjunction with the gelatine blanket, effectually fills in ink all along the edge 28 referred to and in providing a seal along the edge, eliminates the occurrence of a white margin.

In general, the invention comprises the production of a highly useful advertising envelope whose entire rear face or back side is covered with print without the use of grippers, being opaque and waterproof, and having its fiap edges covered and sealed. A sufficiently even and fine grade of printing is efi'ected as to have great commercial value. These effects are made possible by using a thinned varnish which may be mixed with pigments or metal oxides and thinned to an extent where it may be applied by a gelatine roll with almost instant drying occurring and yet no sticking being present.

All of these advantages are made possible by the incorporation of the blanket, the inking material, and the degree of thinning depending upon the grade of paper used. These improvements may be effected with any type of folded paper container of the envelope family where a similar uneven surface is to be dealt with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

An envelope having its rear face comprising a plurality of fiaps sealed together, and a closure flap unsealed but overlapping the sealed flaps, the sealed flaps having a portion of an image or picture disposed or printed thereon terminating at a line which would be defined by the edge of the unsealed flap when the latter is brought into tonal value throughout its area and throughout each of the uneven flap portions without significant differentiation due to variation in the thickness of the body of the envelope printed upon. JOHN J. ORMOND.

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