US3540646A

US3540646A - File envelope having side-by-side extensible pockets

Info

Publication number: US3540646A
Application number: US778064A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W Kizler
Original assignee: JOHN W KIZLER
Current assignee: JOHN W KIZLER
Priority date: 1968-11-22
Filing date: 1968-11-22
Publication date: 1970-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 1987-11-17

Description

United States Patent Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented FILE ENVELOPE HAVING SlDE-BY-SIDE EXTENSIBLE POCKETS 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 229/72 Int. Cl B6501] 27/08 Field of Search 229/72 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1919 Belcher 2,749,021 6/1956 l-liersteiner 3,236,439 2/1966 Johnsonetal...

ABSTRACT: A file envelope having side-by-side extensible pockets and formed from a one-piece integral paper blank withfold lines to define a front wall, a pair of partial rear walls connected to opposite lateral edges of the front wall by accordion pleats, one of said rear walls terminating at its inner edge in a.divider having an accordion pleat and a gummed strip adhered to the central part of the front wall, the other rear wall overlying the inner edge of said first rear wall and being adhered thereto, a bottom flap connected to said front wall by an accordion pleat and folded over the bottom edges of said rear walls, and a top flap connected to the upper edge of said front wall by an accordion pleat and foldable over the upper edges of said rear walls.

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 INVI'IN'I'UR. K/ZLE JOHN w m 4m f FILE ENVELOPE HAVING SIDE-BY-SIDE EXTENSIBLE POCKETS This invention relates to a file envelope having side-by-side pockets which are extensible and intended to receive and store miscellaneous small papers such as bills, receipts, and the like.

The average householder is plagued over the period of a year with numerous bills which are printed on undersized sheets of paper, or IBM-type cards. These, because of their small and varying sizes, cannot be readily filed, or stored. As a result, some of these bills, or notices, are lost when needed for payment, or reference. Such losses are annoying and lead to time-consuming attempts to replace them, as well as negate any possibility of maintaining complete records which will yield the annual total cost of electricity, gas, telephone, insurance, water, sewage, and other taxes.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the invention to provide an envelope, or file, having expansible pockets of small size placed side-by-side and adapted to snugly hold bills, invoices,

receipts, and similar undersized papers of varying size and shape, and to support these papers so that they may be readily available for reference purposes with, or without, complete removal from the envelope.

Another object of the invention is to provide a file envelope, having the above described characteristics, which is so constructed that it may be economically formed from a single, unitary paper-blank.

A further object of the invention is to provide a file envelope, having the above described characteristics, wherein the expansible pockets are rendered expansible by accordion pleats integrally formed in said blank, the walls of said pockets yielding to receive additional bills and vouchers, and contracting to hold these bills and vouchers firmly whether the pockets are full, or'empty; or in any intermediate condition.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide. a file envelope, having the above described characteristics, which may be carried from place-to-place within the household, or outside, without danger of the contents spilling out of the described pockets, a top flap covering the entrance openings to the pockets being provided and which top flap may be secured in closed position by any conventional means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tile envelope,

having the above described characteristics, which is of simple and economical construction, and easy to fabricate and use.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a strong file envelope, having the above described characteristics, in which the pockets are considerably smaller in area than the envelope and thus, are adapted to retain undersized papers, each of the pockets being readily accessible through an opening at the top, the pockets being placed laterally side-by-side.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several FIGS, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a file envelope according to the invention in which the top flap has been raised to opened position;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, and looking in-the direction of the arrows; and

FIG, 4 is a plan view of the single integral paper blank from which the envelope is formed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the improved envelope, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10, is formed from a single integral paper blank shaped as illustrated in FIG. 4, to provide a front wall portion 12 of rectangular shape and of a size suitable for reception in conventional file drawers and cabinets. A rear wall portion, ap-

proximately half the size of the front wall portion, isshown at 14 and is connected by three, or more, scored fold lines 16 to one lateral edge of the front wall portion. The free edge of said rear wall portion terminates in a gummed strip 18 connected to said rear wall portion by scored fold lines 20 forming another accordion pleat when folded. To the opposite lateral edge of the front wall portion 12 is secured a second rear wall portion 22 of about thesame size as the wall portion 14. Wall 22 is connected to the front wall portion by scored fold lines 24 which, when folded, form an accordion pleat, and the free edge of said rear wall portion 22 is terminated in a gummed strip 26. I 1

A bottom flap 28 is connected to the bottom edge of the front wall 12 by scored fold lines 30, and this bottom flap is preferably of narrow height and terminates in a narrow gummed strip 32. Similarly, a top flap 34 of slightly greater height is connected to the upper edge of the front wall portion 12 by means of scored fold lines 36 and its free edge is provided with a gummed strip 38.

Each of the

rear wall portions

14, 22 is provided in its upper edge with a curved indentation, or recess 40. v

To form the file envelope 10 from the integral single blank of FIG. 4 described above, it is merely necessary to fold the scored lines 16 to form an expansible, accordion pleat and move the rear wall portion 14 to overlie the front wall portion 12. Fold lines 20 are also folded in alternate fashion to form an accordion pleat and the gummed strip 18 is wetted and adhered to the rear face of the front wall portion 12. Similarly, the rear wall portion 22 is folded to overlie the front wall portion 12 and its gummed strip 26 is wetted to adhere to the inner edge of the.rear wall portion 14. Next, the fold lines30 are accordion pleated and the gummed strip 32 is adhered to the rear faces of the

rear walls

14, 22 at their bottom edges. Finally, the fold lines 36 at the top of the front wall portion 12 are alternately folded to form an accordion pleat so that the top flap 34 may be bent to overlie the rear faces of the

rear wall portions

14, 22. The gummed strip 38 is left unwet until such time as it is wished to seal papers within the envelope.

The envelope formed in the described manner is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 as having a pair of

pockets

42, 44 formed between the front and rear wall portions. These pockets are side-by-side and are separated by a divider portion which is primarily the accordion pleat formed by the fold lines 20. The outer lateral sides'of the

pockets

42, 44 are closed by the accordion pleats formed by

fold lines

16, 24, and the bottom of both pockets is closed by the accordion pleat formed by the fold lines 30. By virtue of the various accordion pleats closing all sides of the

pockets

42, 44 except the upper open sides, the envelope will lie flat with the

rear wall portions

14, 22 juxtaposed next to the front wall portion 12 until such time as vouchers, or bills, are tiled in the pockets. The pockets will expand upon such filing to take a considerable number of papers, each of which being smaller than the pocket, is readily accepted and firmly held by the tension in the accordion pleats. The curved recesses 40 at the tops of the two pockets permit ready insertion of small papers and ready access for removal thereof, or for reference thereto.

In order that the file envelope may be used as an individual carrying case, the gummed strip 38 may be wetted and adhered to the rear faces of the

wall portions

14, 22, and the envelope may then be carried from place-to-place. If desired, it will be obvious that in place of adhering the top flap, it may be tied, or secured in its closed position by any conventional means, such as strings, buttons, or the like.

In operation, the data to be filed away in the envelope, or to be individually carried therein, is placed in the

expansible pockets

42, 44. As data accumulates in the pockets, their walls are pushed out, or expanded, against the resilience of the corrugated accordion pleats which define their lateral and bottom sides. When bills, or vouchers, are removed from a pocket, the accordion pleats contract and the front and rear walls of the pocket compress the remaining bills therein to hold them firmly.

To refer to any particular data placed in the pockets 41%, it is not necessary to remove all of the bills, or vouchers, therefrom, but merely to spread the papers sufficiently at their upper edges to recognize and select the desired paper, which then may be inspected, lifted partially, or completely removed from the pockets without disturbing the other documents. The curved indentations, or recesses, 40 permit a paper to be thus inspected upon partial lifting to a minimum height in the pocket.

Although a certain specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not intended to be restricted to the exact showing of the drawing and description thereof, but is considered to include reasonable and obvious equivalents.

lclaim:

l. A file envelope having side-by-side pockets, comprising a front wall portion, a pair of rear wall portions connected to opposite lateral edges of the front wall portion by accordion pleats, one of said rear wall portions terminating at its inner edge in a central divider portion having an accordion pleat and a gumm ed strip adhered to a central part of the rear face of the front wall portion, the other of said rear wall portions overlying the inner edge of said one rear wall portion and being adhered thereto, and a bottom flap connected to said front wall portion by an accordion pleat and being adhered to the bottom edges of said pair of rear wall portions, whereby to define a pair of extensible, side-by-side pockets between said front and rear wall portions and separated by said divider portion.

2.. A file envelope according to claim 1, wherein a top flap is connected to the top edge of said front wall portion by an accordion pleat arid is adapted to be folded to overlie the top edges of the rear faces of said rear wall portions.

3. A file envelope according to claim 1, wherein curved indentations are provided in the upper edge of each of said rear wall portions to enable easier access to papers stored in said pockets.

4. A file envelope according to claim 1, formed of a single blank having scored fold lines which define said front and rear wall portions, said accordion pleats, said divider portion and said bottom flap.

5. A file envelope according to claim 2, formed of a single blank having scored fold lines which define said front and rear wall portions, said divider portion, said accordion pleats and said bottom and top flaps, all of which are integrally formed in the single blank.