US3038742A - Proposal cover - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1962 c. B. LEAP 3,

' PROPOSAL COVER' Filed Feb. 3. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 24 A l B 2 47 E.

i i i i 'INVENTOR.

CLINTON B. LEAP C. B. LEAP PROPOSAL COVER June 12, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb' 3, 1958 INVENTOR.

CLINTON B. LEAP ATTORN United States Patent 3,038,742 PRQPOSAL COVER Clinton B. Leap, Locust Corner Road, RD. 1, Amelia, Ohio Filed Feb. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 713,020 6 Ciaims. (Cl. 28129) This invention relates to jackets or covers commonly known as proposal covers, in which sheets of paper or the like may be bound or secured to provide booklets or compilations of data, attractively presented and protected against soil or multilation. Such booklets may be used by persons who may wish to present data such as estimates, proposals, reports, advertising material, and the like, in a most attractive form but without incurring undue or unreasonable expense. In accordance with the invention, the improved jackets or covers are capable of rapid production in single-piece form, with the use of existing machinery and, if desired,,inexpensive paper or cardboard stock. When expense is not of primary importance, other forms of sheet stock may be used in fabricating the jackets or covers, namely, such materials as leather, plastic sheet, cloth, foil, or, in fact, any sheet material found suitable for use as a cover or jacket of the general character mentioned. The material selected should be one which can be formed or sheared to the prescribed shape, and folded to produce the ultimate form of jacket or cover desired.

In addition to the objective of producing a jacket or cover which is attractive through inexpensive, it is an object of the present invention to minimize the labor and hand-work heretofore considered necessary to the production of covers or jackets for data sheets and the like. Under the practice of the present invention, the jackets are automatically formed from sheet stock, and supplied to the purchaser or consumer in flat form, thereby to facilitate handling, packaging, and shipping, with great economies resulting.

Another object of the invention is to produce the jackets or covers in various forms, without departure from the basicone-piece construction feature which characterizes the invention.

Another object is to provide a jacket or cover having the advantages and features mentioned, which is further characterized by the fact that all staples or stitchings employed in forming a booklet therefrom are completely and effectively concealed in the interests of improved appearance, and freedom from snagging or defacing other objects or materials coming into contact with the jacket.

A further object is to provide a jacket or cover of the character stated, which includes in its one-piece structure one or more pockets which may be used for various purposes, for example, to hold small samples, individual note sheets or data sheets not desirably to be bound into the booklet, or perhaps cards, schedules, or any other materials or objects to be detached or disassociated from the jacket for one reason or another.

It is an object of the invention also to provide an improved jacket or cover for the purposes mentioned, which may be assembled about the insert sheets to produce a booklet, with unusual case and dispatch.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view, part broken away, showing a jacket body of the invention in flat form.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, showing the jacket of FIG. 1 in an initial step of assembly with a group of insert sheets incorporated therein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the jacket of "ice FIGS. 1 and 2 completely assembled but with one corner partly unattached to clarify the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a slight modification of the FIG. 3 assembly.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modification of the jacket of FIG. 1, part being broken away.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the the jacket of FIG. 5 in an initial step of assembly with a group of insert sheets incorporated therein.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the jacket of FIGS. 5 and 6 completely assembled but with one corner partly unattached to clarify the disclosure.

In all forms of the invention, the jacket material is initially provided in fiat sheet form, and is marked or scored to provide fold lines in aid of assembly with relation to a group or stack of insert sheets to be incorporated in the jacket. In each instance, a single stripe or band of adhesive is included in the blank which constitutes the jacket, this stripe of adhesive being applied preferably at the factory. The nature of the adhesive employed may vary, as many suitable froms and types of adhesive substances are available at present, and others which are suitable for the purposes of the invention may be developed in the future. It should be understood, then, that the present invention shall not be limited to use of the pressure-sensitive adhesive herein proposed by way of example and for purposes of explanation. The adhesive stripe or area to be disclosed herein may or may not carry a protective detachable film or cover strip to be removed for exposing the adhesive at the time of use, although such form of adhesive seems preferable at this writing.

FIGS. 1 to 4 The form of the invention illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, comprises a fiat sheet substantially greater in length than in width, carrying transverse score lines, or merely markings indicating lines of folding, as suggested at 1, 2, and 3, which divide the blank into panels A, B, C and D. An additional narrow panel E may also be provided for, if desired, but the structure will first be described without reference to a panel such as B. As in the previous descriptions, V denotes the front faces of all the panels, while W indicates the backs thereof.

Panels A, B, C, and D are dimensioned to substantially correspond in size with the insert sheets of stock S. An adhesive stripe 22 is applied to the front of panel A, marginally of its free side edge 46, and carries the usual protective strip 24 to be peeled off for exposing the adhesive.

In this highly simplified form of jacket, assembly may require folding along line '1 to place the backs of panels A and B in flatwise contact, with the insert sheets interposed and fastened to both panels by means of the stitches or fasteners 28 located close to the line of fold as indicated. Next, a fold is made along line 2, placing face V of panel C against face V of panel B, thereby to locate the line of fold 3 in registry with fold line 1. Panel D may then be wrapped about fold line 1 to place its face V flatwise upon the front face of panel A, this resulting in disposition of adhesive stripe 22 (FIG. 3), against the marginal free edge portion 47 of panel D. Upon stripping the protective cover 24 from panel A, this panel may be joined to panel D along an edge of the jacket as depicted by FIG. 3, thereby completing the assembly. The turned-back corner shown in FIG. 3, at the location of adhesive stripe 22, will, of course, adhere flatly to face V of panel D in the finished jacket.

As a slight modification of the structure above described, the adhesive stripe might be applied to a narrow panel or flap, such as E, rather than to panel A, in which case the adhesive connection between panels D and A might be effected by simply turning the adhesive face 22 of panel or flap E about the free side margin of panel A (FIG. 4), onto the back W of panel A. With the structure so modified, the adhesive stripe would be omitted from panel A, FIG. 1, and the added narrow panel B would carry the adhesive stripe instead. Panel or flap E may have a fold line connection with the outer side edge margin 47 of panel D, and its adhesive stripe would be exposed upon the front face of the panel.

It may here be noted that the adhesive connections in the above described forms of jacket, are never subject to lateral stress tending to strip one panel from the other, during normal use of the jacket. Moreover, the lines of fold separating the panels need not be score lines physically formed in the blank, because guidance in making the several folds may easily be had by simply observing markings upon the blank at 1, 2, and 3, for folding by the person assembling the jacket. Of course, the weight of the jacket material may in some instances be such as to render physical scoring desirable at the fold lines, but when the material is not exceedingly thick or heavy, scoring may be dispensed with, if desired.

A backbone for the jacket might be furnished, if desired, by applying an adhesive stripe to the faces V of panels C and D, in straddling relationship to fold line 3.

FIGS.5 to 7 The jacket structure illustrated by FIGS. 5 to 7, inclusive, has much in common with that of FIGS. 1 to 4, and possess all the advantages thereof with the addition of presenting nicely finished edges on the covers where the jacket opens to expose the insert sheets. In this modification, the intermediate panels B, C, and D, may be dimensioned to substantially correspond in size with the insert sheets S, whereas the flanking split-panels A and E of reduced width, are each narrower than the width of the insert sheets. The spit-panel A is separated from panel B by a fold mark or score line 1, and a similar mark or line 4 separates the split-panel E from panel D. Panels B, C, and D are separated by means of the fold marks or score lines 2 and 3.

By preference, panel B along its free edge margin carries the adhesive stripe 22, applied to front face V, and temporarily covered by the detachable protective strip 24. As will be noted hereafter, the adhesive stripe might be eliminated entirely, but for the present, the structure will be described as one including the adhesive stripe as shown on the drawings.

To assemble, the panel A is first turned upon fold line 1 to place it back-to-back upon panel B (FIG. 6), whereupon the stack of inserts S may be interposed to abut the fold, and then stitched or anchored to both panels by means of the fasteners 20. Next, panel C is swung onto panel B about the fold line 2, to place the faces VV in fiatwise contact, with fold line 3 coinciding with fold line 1. Panel D may then be folded along line 3 to flatly abut panel A, the faces VV thereof contacting one another. Finally, at fold line 4 the panel B may be turned onto face V of panel D and face W of panel A, to assume the position of FIG. 7. At this stage of the assembly, the adhesive stripe 22 may be uncovered for adhesively joining the sticking margin of panel B to panel A, as shown.

Assuming now that no adhesive stripe had been initially applied to panel B, the overlap of panel B upon panel A, at the right in FIG. 7, might very simply be maintained by means of an adhesive patch of any suitable form or size, applied as indicated at 48. Thus it will be understood that the blank for the jacket of FIG. 7 might be produced either with or without the stripe of adhesive 22. Also, the degree of overlap of panel E upon panel A, might be greater or less than shown upon the drawing, and the relative widths of panels A and E are subject to 4.- considerable alteration, without departing from the basic concept illustrated.

As in the previous forms of the device, the fold lines 1, 2, 3, 4 may be merely lines or marks on the blank, rather than definite scores, provided that the jacket material is not too resistive to neat and easy folding.

A backbone for this jacket might be furnished, if desired, by applying an adhesive stripe to the blank straddling the fold line 3, upon the front faces VV of panels C and D. Such adhesive stripe would, of course, cover the fasteners 20 at both sides of fold line 1, FIG. 6. With or without the adhesive stripe, the fasteners 20 will be covered and concealed, as in all other forms of the jacket disclosed herein.

In the several forms of the invention disclosed, certain structural features are common thereto; for example, all are constituted of a single sheet scored or otherwise marked for folding, the sheet being initially in flat form for ease and economy of shipment, storage, and handling. In all instances the fasteners employed are fully concealed and embedded to avoid snagging or defacing other objects or materials coming into contact with the jacket. Manufacture of the improved jackets involves the use of simple machinery operable at high production speed, and upon inexpensive materials if necessary or desirable, to effect the greatest possible economy. The jackets are easy to assemble, with the employment of a minimum amount of labor. Various other features and advantages of merit mentioned hereinbefore are characteristic of the improved device.

In conclusion, it should be understood that various modifications and changes in structural details, and in the materials employed, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A jacket structure for enveloping a stack of insert sheets having end edges, comprising an elongated onepiece flat blank of flexible material, the blank having transverse lines of fold extending the full height thereof defining a plurality of in-line panels comprising intermediate panels of the same size and shape and end panels at each end of the blank, each of the end panels having a free edge opposite their respective lines of folds, a first line of fold between one of the end panels and the adjacent intermediate panel defining a crotch when the end and intermediate panels are folded upon each other, the end edges of the insert sheets being received in the crotch, separate anchoring means passing through the end and intermediate panels and the stack of insert sheets adjacent the first line of fold to hold the sheets and the end and intermediate panels permanently together along the first line of fold and within the crotch, a second line of fold between adjacent intermediate panels being reversely bent and with the adjacent intermediate panels being exteriorly superposed upon each other with a third line of fold receiving therein the crotch containing the insert sheets and concealing the anchoring means, and adhesive securing means along the full height of the free edge of at least one of the end panels to secure the free edges of the end panels together to make a unitary, complete and permanent jacket structure.

2. A jacket structure as recited in claim 1, wherein the transverse lines of fold form four panels of the same size and shape and wherein the adhesive securing means is adjacent the free edge of one of the end panels.

3. A jacket structure as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the end panels is provided with an extension of the same height as the end panel along its free edge with the adhesive securing means on a surface of the extension, the extension being folded over and upon the free edge of the other end panel to secure the free edges of the panels together.

4. A jacket as defined in claim 1, wherein the transverse lines of fold form three intermediate panels of 5 same size and shape and two end panels of smaller size than the intermediate panels.

5. A jacket structure as recited in claim 4, wherein the fold line between one of the smaller end panels and adjacent intermediate panel comprises the crotch holding the insert sheets and wherein the completed jacket has outer and inner faces and end edges on each cover the end edges being formed of fold lines.

6. A jacket structure as recited in claim 5, wherein the free edges of the end panels overlap and are secured together within the inner face of the completed jacket and overlie one of the intermediate panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stephens Aug. 2, 1932 Bunto Aug. 6, 1940 Stanley Feb. 29, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 13, 1922 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1935

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