US935270A - Safety-envelop. - Google Patents

Description

R. Z. NYGE. SAFETY ENVELOP. v APPLIUATION FILED An.za,19o9.

935,270. l i Patented sept.28,19o9.

T Elfl- HEMMRD Z. NYCE.

WWW v L W REINARD Z. N YCE, OF LANSDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY-ENVELOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1999.

Application led April 23, 1909. Serial No. 491,711.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that l, Riemann Z. Nron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lansdale, in the county of Montgomery, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful lmprovenlents in Safety- Envelops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to envelops of the class designed to prevent surreptitious access to the contents thereof, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

The improved device comprises in general an envelop including a back flap having spaced slits extending longitudinally thereof and with a transverse slit connecting the longitudinally extending slits and a closure Hap having' a barbed tongue at its free side, the slits in the bach flap permitting a relatively large opening to be formed therein by foldingl the material which is released between the longitudinal slits outwardly and inserting the barbed tongue of the closure flap through the opening and tuclring the outwardly folded portions of the baclr flap inwardly again and over the barbs of t-he tongue, to complete the closure of the envelop. By this means an envelop is produced which cannot be opened without fracturing some portion thereof, and thus revealing the fact that the envelop has been opened.

The invention consist-s in certain novel features of construction as hereafter shown and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the envelop in condition to receive its contents with the material which is released by the slits folded outwardly to produce an aperture to receive the tongue of the closure flap. Fig. 2 is a view of the improved envelop fully closed. Fig. 3 is a. section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

The improved device may be constructed of any desired size and of any suitable material, and it is not desired therefore to limit the invention to any specific size or form of envelops or envelops formed from any specific material or employed for any particular purpose. For the purpose of illustration a conventional form of envelop is shown and comprises a back portion 10 the bach flap 11 and the closure flap 12. End flaps 13`14 are also employed, to form closures to the ends of the envelop.

In its preferred form the bach flap is provided with clefts 15-16 near its ends, and the end flaps are provided with barbed tongues 17-18, the barbs adapted to be folded inwardly and the tongues in that condition passed through the slits 15-16 and the tongues expanded into flat position. Formed in the back flap 11 is a relatively long slit 19 near the free edge of the flap and a relatively short longitudinal slit 20 spaced from the slit 19. The two slits 19 2O are connected by a central transverse slit 21, this formation of the slits releases tongue-like portions 22-23 of the back flap material, the released portions adapted to be folded outwardly as represented in Fig. 2 to form a relatively large opening thro-ugh the flap. The closure flap 12 is provided with a barbed tongue 24.

With a blank thus constructed the envelop is produced by folding the back iap 11 upon the body 1() and folding` the end iiaps over the folded back flap and securing them as above described by inserting the tongues 17--18 through the slits 15-16. This places the envelop in condition to receive the contents, and after the contents have been deposited the tongue like portions 22-23 are folded outward into the position shown in Fig. 2 and the closure flap 12 folded over with the barbed tongue 24 inserted into the opening formed by the outwardly folded portions and the point of the tongue 24 tucked beneath the body of the back flap below the relatively short slit 20. The outwardly folded portions 22-23 are then tucked inwardly toward each other beneath the closure flap to complete the closing of the envelop.

Any suitable implement may be employed for tucking the portions 22-28 into their flat former position, such as the blade of a pen-knife or a thin strip of sheet metal.

The slit 19 it will be noted, is equal in length or slightly greater than the greatest width of the tongue 24, while the relatively short slit 2O is about equal in length to the width of the root portion of the tongue 24. By this means the tongue 24 may be inserted into its seat within the envelop without folding the tongue, as the oblique sides of the tongue pass beneath the outer corners of the folded-over portions QQ-Q-l, while the root portion of the tongue passes between the inner edges of the folded-over portions. The outer edges of the closure tlap 12 are formed oblique or reversely inclined, as shown and the inner edge of the tongue 24 is formed by the continuation of the oblique edges of the closure tlap. By this means the terminals of the tongue are correspondingly oblique, and when the envelop is closed as shown in Fig. 2, the oblique terminals of the tongue extend beneath the body of the back tlap l1 of the envelop, and thus materially increase the holding power and grip of the tongue. These are import-ant features of applicants device and materially increases its efficiency and utility, as no danger exists of the operator fracturing the fragile tongue when securing the envelop, while at the same time any attempt to remove the tongue will result in its fracture.

As an additional security the edges of the end tlaps and of the closure tlap will be provided with the usual adhesive material indicated at 25-2". The adhesive material of the end flaps are moistened and the end flaps sealed in position when'the envelop is manufactured, while the adhesive material of the closure flap will be moistened when the envelop is closed after the contents are placed therein.

llith an envelop thus constructed it will be obvious that after being once closed and secured the envelop cannot be opened without fracturing some portion more particularly the relatively fragile tongue 2t of the closure flap, and thus disclose the fact that the envelop has been opened. The envelop will thus secure the contents against access by unauthorized persons without detection.

that is claimed is l. An envelop including a back flap and closure iap, the closure tiap having a barbed tongue and the back fiap having a longitudinal slit corresponding in length to the greater width of the barbed tongue and a shorter slit spaced from the longer slit and corresponding in length to the root portion of the barbed tongue and with a transverse slit connecting the shorter and the longer slits, whereby portions of the envelop material between the longer and shorter slits are released to permitthe barbed tongue to be inserted into the interior of the envelop and locked in position without folding the tongue.

2. An envelop including a back flap and a closure iap, the closure flap having oblique outer edges and with a tongue at its outer terminal, the inner edges of the tongue being also obliquely formed by continuing the oblique edges of the closure flap, the back tlap having a longitudinal slit corresponding in length to the greater width of the barbed tongue and a shorter slit spaced from the longer slit and corresponding in length to the root portion of the barbed tongue and with a transverse slit connecting the shorter and the longer slits, whereby portions of the envelop material between the longer and shorter slits are released to permit the barbed tongue to be inserted into the interior of the envelop and locked in position without folding the same with the oblique edges of the tongue extending beneath the body of the envelop.

ln testimony whereof, l aHiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

REINARD Z. NYCE.

lVitnesses B. lVrrMAN DAMBLY, Ha'r'riu 7. A. DAMBLY.

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